-- between israel and iran. take a listen. >> the problems in the middle east are so continuing. there is a rise of al-qaeda in the middle east and they're taking advantage of the revolutionary change that's sweeping through the region. they were not the catalyst for it. but they are seeking the opportunity on advantage from it. in the shadows here is our number one national security challenge and that's iran. >> on top of that, of course, the crisis in syria showing no signs of clearing up as well. this is why the middle east right now is a tippedder box and it's putting a lot of pressure on president obama as he kicks off his second term in office. >> shep: not to mention jordan and saudi arabia and beyond. ed henry, thank you. a lot of civilians in the densely populated gaza strip say it is virtually impossible to get out of the way of the hamas militants. according to the c.i.a. world fact books the gaza strip is roughly twice the size of washington, d.c but it holds about a million-plus more people than our